Appleton East’s incoming senior is having a great summer and turning heads not only with her lights out shooting, which she is known for, but also with her all-around game. Always in command of the floor, Sweeney has shown a great feel for, not only finding open teammates, but also when to call her own number where she is a 40% career shooter, from distance, starting her senior season with 1,131 career points. Underrated defensively, Sweeney moves her feet well and uses great anticipation to generate turnovers leading to easy buckets.

Sweeney made the skills portion of the event look as easy as I expected. The Appleton native is among the more skilled players in Wisconsin and showed why during the entire event. She shot the ball well, as expected, and overall seemed comfortable in every aspect. Sweeney has a way of making the game look simple, and honestly, she’s a fun player to watch because she can make some of the hardest things to do on the floor look rudimentary.

Ella provided Team Prime Nation 17U with consistency and accuracy from the perimeter. She swished threes from the corner and up top, stretching the defense with her range. Ella stayed active on the defensive end to create steals and moved her feet while maintaining excellent balance to force misses without fouling. She threw lob entry passes into the post with great touch, dished out assists, and attacked downhill with a full head of steam to score a hard-nosed layup. Ella was a key contributor to her team’s Gold bracket finals appearance at the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals.

The Appleton native is a player who can shoot a defense out of a game in a hurry, and she’s done it multiple times in her high school career. Sweeney is a guard who can handle the ball and make plays off the dribble, but is most valuable because of her gravity as a perimeter shooter. Any time she gets an open look from the perimeter, you can feel the defense tense up when she gets open looks from beyond the arc.

Sweney did everything right for Team Prime, Impacting the game on both ends of the floor while also being a great teammate. In the second game the Appleton East standout went on a personal 9-0 run that pushed the team ahead by 22. Im looking forward to catching more of her games during the summer.

Sweeney will play in front of some of the most notable programs from around the country, playing for Team Prime Nation in the EYBL. The Appleton native is an excellent perimeter shooter, and we’ve seen players who can shoot the leather off the ball draw more interest in their final year of grassroots basketball in the Midwest. Sweeney is a player who can handle the ball, create off the dribble, and has no hesitation shooting when she’s open. Her ability to shoot the ball can help her carve out a role in most programs.